Wal-Mart Pulls Potentially Racist Comic Book from Stores

Wal-Mart Pulls Potentially Racist Comic Book from Stores

Groups protested the Mexican comic book for its allegedly stereotypical depictions.

Memin Penguin has been a popular Mexican comic book character for over the past 60 years, but his arrival in stores this side of the border has
certain groups up in arms for what they see as a racist depiction.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. said Wednesday that they would remove the comic from shelves, Reuters reports.

The comic book is one of the things I vividly remember about my childhood.
This comic book was everywhere, restaurants, barber shops, all the magazine racks were fool of them so it was pretty easy to get your hands on the
latest issue.
Of course I was too young and not yet able to read at the time but you were able to get the storyline just by looking at the drawings.
First thing that comes to mind about this little kid was that his Mom used to whack him with a big paddle. In one drawing I also seem to remember
seeing a nail protruding from the edge of the paddle. OUCH!

The drawings were quite effective in conveying the story because this kid would do the darndest things. He would consistently get into trouble, so I
understand why his Mom would punish him the way she did. I was actually quite thankful my Parents didn't punish me that same way so I guess in a way
that comic book helped keep me in line.

Unbelievable.
They censor a comic book thats been around for 60 years, but they have that show 'The Boondocks' on TV.

Never in my life have I heard such gratuitous use of the 'N' word.
If you've seen the show, you know what I mean. Stereotypes abound.
Maybe I'm just getting cranky these days but I find that show offensively racist. So I don't watch it.

Originally posted by earthchild
Unbelievable.
They censor a comic book thats been around for 60 years, but they have that show 'The Boondocks' on TV.

Never in my life have I heard such gratuitous use of the 'N' word.
If you've seen the show, you know what I mean. Stereotypes abound.
Maybe I'm just getting cranky these days but I find that show offensively racist. So I don't watch it.

That's the whole point of The Boondocks. The premise is that stereotypes exist for a reason and that black people need to stop behaving as negative
stereotypes mindlessly. I find the show very apropos and highly hillarious. They were right when they said MLK would tell the black people of today to
get bent.

The comic book is one of the things I vividly remember about my childhood.
This comic book was everywhere, restaurants, barber shops, all the magazine racks were fool of them so it was pretty easy to get your hands on the
latest issue.

The drawings were quite effective in conveying the story because this kid would do the darndest things. He would consistently get into trouble, so I
understand why his Mom would punish him the way she did. I was actually quite thankful my Parents didn't punish me that same way so I guess in a way
that comic book helped keep me in line.

One of the things I vividly remember from my childhood was Amos and Andy, White only movie theatres, Hotels, drinking fountains etc.

The example was quite effective, as the black folks were constantly getting in trouble for things like Riding in the front of the Bus, sepaking out of
turn etc. It really made me glad I was white and enforced the fact that all things black were socially unacceptable.

I would argue that 'the whole point of The Boondocks' [sic] is to MAKE MONEY by pointing out the obvious absurdities and paradoxes in our culture
and exploiting them for profit at the same time. God bless America...please!

This is not to say that there is anything WRONG [or RIGHT] about the 'point' of an animated television show. It's just a rational attempt
at calling a diamond a diamond, if you see what I'm saying.

I would argue that 'the whole point of The Boondocks' [sic] is to MAKE MONEY by pointing out the obvious absurdities and paradoxes in our culture
and exploiting them for profit at the same time. God bless America...please!

This is not to say that there is anything WRONG [or RIGHT] about the 'point' of an animated television show. It's just a rational attempt
at calling a diamond a diamond, if you see what I'm saying.

I would argue that 'the whole point of The Boondocks' [sic] is to MAKE MONEY by pointing out the obvious absurdities and paradoxes in our culture
and exploiting them for profit at the same time. God bless America...please!

This is not to say that there is anything WRONG [or RIGHT] about the 'point' of an animated television show. It's just a rational attempt
at calling a diamond a diamond, if you see what I'm saying.

Agreed, I love Boondocks, I think it's one of the funniest and gutsiest shows on TV. The whole point of the show is to (brutally) poke fun at racial
stereotypes - not just the corny stereotypes people believe about others but the corny stereotypes they believe about themselves. I can't get
all bent about the use of the "n-word" by black people, I've had plenty of black people I knew call me that word, and I'm a blond-haired blue-eyed
white guy

I think it's silly that Wal Mart is censoring a comic about brown people, for brown people, made by brown people, for allegedly being "racist"
about brown people

Originally posted by earthchild
Unbelievable.
They censor a comic book thats been around for 60 years, but they have that show 'The Boondocks' on TV.

Since when does Walmart own Comedy Central?

This is a private company doing what it thinks is in it's best Public Relations interests. If
enough customers raise a stink(at least 2 for every 1 who's offended) then they may reverse it. This isn't the first time Walmart has done this
though, They censor Rock and Rap CD's as well. (also this is not just a US issue as Walmart is a Global company, I wonder just how many of the USA's
puritanical culture is force fed to the rest of the world via distribution channels this way? Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated....

If there is any hint of unwholesome unfamilynessness of a product then they pull it from the shelves.

This is another reason why near monopolies are a bad idea. If all mega-chains had this policy then any and all "controversial" material will be
marginalized sales-wise and thus less, companies will be less willing to push the envelope and take risks will far out projects. You can already see
it happening.

You must be rather on up there in age then cause I'm almost 40 and do not remember any of those things. I am white and in my last year of school I
was the only white kid in my homeroom. All of the schools in Memphis were pretty much like that. You have to go back a ways to find any serious racism
like you are speaking of. I have been turned down countless times for jobs and promotions because I was not a minority. The EEOC was posted on the
breakroom wall at one job along with corporate hiring policies and we had to have a certain percentage of whites, blacks, women, disabled, etc. No
concern whatsoever about qualifications, just ethnicity and gender.
I have read the Boondocks comic strip a few times, never seen the tv show. I'll have to say that it is very anti-white. I was very offended by it
when I did look at it. I've never pissed and moaned to have it taken out of the paper, I just don't read it. If people do not wish to read the comic
at Wal Mart then I suggest they don't look at it. America as a whole has turned into a bunch of whiney butt sissies. I also read today that Atlanta
has to remove all of their men at work signs because it is gender specific and offensive to female workers. Give me a freakin break.

One of the things I vividly remember from my childhood was Amos and Andy, White only movie theatres, Hotels, drinking fountains etc.

The example was quite effective, as the black folks were constantly getting in trouble for things like Riding in the front of the Bus, sepaking out of
turn etc. It really made me glad I was white and enforced the fact that all things black were socially unacceptable.

Yeah, it's funny the things we remember from our childhood.

(sarcasm off)

Then you must have learned about racism at a much younger age than I.
I merely looked at the comicbook character as a little kid getting into trouble.
BTW, I'm not White and this character is Cuban-Mexican.

I'm sure they'll get around to it as soon as one of those holier than thou arse-holes
sees it, buys it for kid, gets offended and then writes and angry letter. It's how it happened many times before and caused Walmart to start doing it
preemptively. As I said above, my guess is that they just haven't gotten around to it yet

I would argue that 'the whole point of The Boondocks' [sic] is to MAKE MONEY by pointing out the obvious absurdities and paradoxes in our culture
and exploiting them for profit at the same time. God bless America...please!

This is not to say that there is anything WRONG [or RIGHT] about the 'point' of an animated television show. It's just a rational attempt
at calling a diamond a diamond, if you see what I'm saying.

Point well taken. I do see what you're saying, as making money is the point of anything that ever makes it to the airwaves. I guess what I meant to
say was the message of the content of the show is to make fun of stereotypes, as xmotex so aptly stated - stereotypes others project and ones people
project upon themselves.

Even if the purpose of a tv show is to make money by entertaining, some still do have content with a coherent message. The reason The Boondocks is so
funny is because the points made are true.

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